More Susceptible To Viruses?

[judyw]

My 11 year old is making the slow recovery that I read in other posts, 11 weeks into the new diet. Our spirits are getting pretty low because besides the setbacks from accidental glutening and living this new spartan diet, he seems to catch a new virus each week. I am wondering if others have experienced increased sensitivity to random virus'? I'm guessing his immune system is just very weak. My second question - have people seen increased sensitivity to other obscure foods like raw veggies or leafy greens (even cooked)?

[mommida]

The gut needs time to heal. During that time there can be sensitivity to more foods. Especially dairy.

When your gut is out of whack, so is your immune system. You can try some pro biotics to get the gut healthier.

As a side observation... my 12 year old son just had 5th disease over the summer, it was a LONG time to get over. The symptoms seemed like he was getting sick with different things but he was sick for over 6 weeks. Fever didn't spike until evening and he was getting diagnosed with swimmer's ear, and ear infections, and it wasn't until the rash showed up that it could be figured out what was going on.

[WinterSong]

I have a similar question. When you are glutened, does the immune system become weaker? I had a problem where I think that I got glutened, then caught a stomach virus, cold, and horrible cough all at once. I got a sinus problem shortly after that. I felt like I was going downhill.

Anyone know the answer?

[burdee]

My 11 year old is making the slow recovery that I read in other posts, 11 weeks into the new diet. Our spirits are getting pretty low because besides the setbacks from accidental glutening and living this new spartan diet, he seems to catch a new virus each week. I am wondering if others have experienced increased sensitivity to random virus'? I'm guessing his immune system is just very weak. My second question - have people seen increased sensitivity to other obscure foods like raw veggies or leafy greens (even cooked)?

After I was diagnosed with celiac disease and then 6 other delayed reaction (IgG or IgA mediated) allergies, I went through a 5 year period of getting colds (and gastrointestinal infections) more and more frequently. I found a holistic doctor who was willing to find causes of my lowered immunity. Through tests she found my white blood cells were abnormally low, my vitamin D3 level was low and I had low thyroid hormones, specifically Hashimoto's, which is highly correlated with celiac disease . After treating all those problems (I took low dose naltrexone for low wbc), I still caught frequent colds. Adrenal hormone tests showed I was low in DHEA. I'm now taking a tiny dose of supplemental DHEA and never get colds.

I'm not saying your son has any of those problems, which can lower immunity, but I recommend you get your son tested with a CBC, vitamin D levels and thyroid levels to consider the sources of his lowered immunity. BTW I had long undiagnosed and misdiagnosed celiac disease. So depending on how long your son had symptoms, before getting on the gluten-free diet, that could stress the body enough to lower immunity.

To answer your other question about sensitivities, while the gut is healing, many foods may cause problems. However, he also may have delayed reaction allergies to almost anything.

[stanleymonkey]

it was explained to me that once you eliminated gluten your body sometimes takes a while to 'turn off' the response to gluten, it's so used to being in that state, so autoimmune system does what it does best ...... Go crazy. My 1 yr old always has rashes and colds, her body just doesn't know what to do with itself now the dreaded gluten has gone

[dilettantesteph]

I find that we are more susceptible to viruses when glutened.

[Gemini]

I have a similar question. When you are glutened, does the immune system become weaker? I had a problem where I think that I got glutened, then caught a stomach virus, cold, and horrible cough all at once. I got a sinus problem shortly after that. I felt like I was going downhill.

Anyone know the answer?

Actually, your immune system is not compromised with Celiac. At least not to weaken it. Your immune system becomes overactive with the ingestion of gluten but that will damage your intestines so malabsorption could be keeping you from absorbing vitamins well and then you become run down.

[mommida]

Well it could be Leaky Gut causing the contracting of illness. Like Gemini said, Celiac is actually an overactive immune system.

Like before I went gluten free I had meningitis. The spinal fluid showed evidence of both viral and bacterial meningitis. The stats for catching meningitis, 1 in 250,000. 1 out of 10 cases are fatal. There is a very good chance extremities will be amputated with the bacterial meningitis as the bacteria uses the body as a toilet.

I was out of the hospital in one week with all my fingers and toes. Caught early, I was on a miniscle antibiotic, but I had a seizure before being hospitalized.

Celiacs are almost superhuman disease fighters!